OUR STAFF
Our church is led by a dedicated team of trained professionals who are committed to
personal spiritual growth and to serving Christ in ministry through Cook Baptist Church.
DR. JOSEPH FOWLER
Senior Pastor
Dr. Fowler has been the Senior Pastor at Cook since July 2022. He previously served at Jefferson Baptist Church in Baton Rouge as Associate Pastor. Joseph is a passionate and yet humble individual who teaches and lives the Word of God. He has a strong desire to preach the Word of God, to disciple believers in the Word, and to work in the Ruston community to reach others for Christ.
TODD FREE
Discipleship and Administration Pastor
Todd has been in ministry for over 30 years serving in a variety of ministry positions including youth pastor, worship pastor, and senior pastor. He has also served as an international missionary in Brazil. Todd is a graduate of Louisiana Tech University, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He loves spending time with his family, attending sporting events (especially Louisiana Tech!), and spending time outdoors. Todd and his wife Lesley have been married for over 30 years and have four children. Todd provides leadership for our Bible study and discipleship ministries and manages our church office.
CHRIS WALKER
University and Missions Pastor
Chris was born and raised in Minden, LA, about 45 minutes west of Ruston. He grew up going to Tech sporting events with his family! Chris attended Ouachita Baptist University to play football, and graduated from Louisiana Tech in 2002 with a BS in Secondary Education. After teaching high school math and coaching football for 10 years, Chris felt the Lord calling him to full-time ministry. He’s got two seminary degrees – a Master’s in Missions from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, as well as a MDiv from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Chris and Amanda love having students in their home and feel passionate about making disciples who make disciples. Come join our college ministry family! Love y’all!
WES PIERCE
Youth Pastor
Wes is a Monroe native who began his ministry at Cook in the summer of 2018. He has previously served as Youth Minister at First Baptist Church in Wisner, Louisiana and Swartz First Baptist Church. He is a graduate of Ouachita Christian School and The University of Louisiana at Monroe. Wes has a passion to see students come to know Christ and grow in their relationship with Him.
Wes leads our students into growth opportunities such as Connect Groups, Wednesday night worship, fellowships, summer camp, and much more.
Dandy Monroe
Children's Ministry Director
Dandy joined our team in 2022 and brings 27 years of experience as an educator in the Ouachita Parish School System to our Kids Ministry at Cook. She is a graduate of LA Tech University where she received her Bachelors in Sociology as well as her post-graduate studies and certifications in Education. Throughout her career, Dandy has served in various roles, including 19 years in the classroom, and then 4 years as Library Media Specialist at Calhoun Middle School. Dandy moved from the classroom to a district position in 2018 where she served as OPSS Title II Professional Development Coordinator until her retirement in 2022. During her career as an educator, she grew to love mentoring teachers and future educators so that they feel supported and appreciated for their hard work and devotion. She will continue to support and encourage educators in our local schools, as well as our teachers here at Cook. Combining her love for teaching kids and supporting teachers as a ministry is a dream come true!
As a member of Cook for many years, Dandy has passionately served in our children’s ministry as our VBS Director and Worship Rally Leader, Children’s Music and Choir Director, and Children’s Church Leader. She has also participated in our Adult Choir and Praise Team, among many other volunteer roles. Dandy’s vision is to partner with parents and other leaders of Cook to lead children to Christ and help them grow in biblical truths so they can grow up to be godly parents and leaders and continue sharing the gospel for generations to come.
JASON AMBROSE
Worship Leader